Traquair House Ale | Traquair House Brewery

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Pours a fizzy 1 finger head that fades semi quickly to a lighter head but sticks around for a bit longer at that point, over semi clear auburn maroon rosy brown colored beer.

Nose has some nice rich malts, darker malts and lots of reddish malts, plenty of brown sugar and molasses, bit of toffee, a lighter soft aged malt aroma, and a bit of herbal hop tones.

Taste is semi rich, again with dark malts, a semi soft aged malt flavor, some toasty and plenty of crystal malts, some reddish malts, and a very light chocolate and roast, then onto plenty of brown sugar and molasses once again, semi sweet, some toffee, some herbal earthy hops, semi bitter but not too much, and the hops don't get too crazy, but they do add a slight almost minty flavor but barely detectable, a bit of booze coming through but not a lot, and slight creamy almost ester flavor but hard to really say. Finishes still slightly sweet, some light lingering malt flavors and sticky feel, but mostly bitter with some earthy hop flavors dominate the finish.

Mouth is a slight bit heavier bodied, decent carbonation, and a little booze.

Overall pretty good, the herbal hops are always a negative for me, but it was used in moderation here and tolerable, and some nice malts, overall a pretty good beer.

Pours a very nice brown with a slight reddish hue with a light head,aroma is sweet and malty with some oaky aromas as well.Taste is rich and malty with alcohol notes.Some dried fruit flavors linger with some definent oak hints as well.Incredibly well made a nice beer to savor before bed.

D - This is a thick, malty, somewhat unusual beer. The malt flavor works pretty well, but the aroma is kind of weak. A nice wee-heavy, but it doesn't quite manage to justify its $5/12oz bottle price tag.

Color is dark mahogany with a ruby glow. Creamy head is light brown and medium-sized. Retention is somewhat weak. Aroma is of sweet caramelized earthy malt. A touch of English herbal hop rounds out the aroma. Taste is of sweet, toasty malt with a caramelized sugar sweetness. An earthy/nutty malt is also in the mix, especially the finish. Hopping is moderate and has an herbal flavor. This is very flavorful and has a nicely layered taste. However, the overall flavor seems to pale in comparison to many of the glowing reviews I've read for this beer. I'll definently give this another whirl to see if I've missed something.

A: Pours an impenetrable deep chestnut, although the head is quite small even on a hard pour. Spotty lacing as I make my way down the snifter.

S: Toffee, butterscotch, light caramel, molasses, and hints of diacetyl are what I notice immediately. Everything is well integrated, though a bit lacking in the deeper caramelized malts that I would expect from such a noted Scotch Ale producer.

T: A bit of a letdown after the nose. Not nearly as complex, as a bit of roasted nutty caramel takes over the beer, leaving a bit of lingering bitterness. Hints of butter.

M: Quite thin, especially for the style and alcohol content. This has the mouthfeel of a light Scottish Ale rather than the big boy that it's supposed to be. Fairly low carbonation. Not much of an alcohol bite at all.

D: Quite drinkable given the lack of alcohol presence in the taste, and the general smooth drinkability that comes from a thinner mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Bottle bubbles over when opened. It did not produce a large head, though. Some spots of lace on the glass. The liquid is dark, ruby-amber color. Light shines through and appears clear.

The smell is of toasted English toffee and undercooked sweet caramel. Light milk chocolate in the background.

Full flavored with sweet milked cocoa malt flavor. There's a dollop of bittering hop in the swallow, but this is a tale of delicious, near cake-like chocolate malt taste. Rich bodied with a low carbonation level.

Deep crimson-dark bronze with orange accents at the periphery; a truly stunning color when run through with sunlight. The cap is small in size and pale brown sugar in color. It doesn't appear as if much lace will be forthcoming, but the rest more than makes up for it. This beer isn't a stunner, but it's definitely a looker.

The nose fits the style to a 'T'. My only (admittedly minor) complaint is that it could be a tad more complex. I smell heavily toasted dark malt, along with more than a little dark fruitiness. I expect some smoke and/or peat with my Scotch ales, but don't pick up any here.

Traquair House Ale tastes remarkably like it smells... 'cept better. There's a more than solid malt undercarriage that provides flavors of dark butterscotch, treacle and even cocoa. As in the nose, dark fruits are front and center, with sticky dates, dried figs and raisins leading the way. There's now a wee bit of smoke and a pinch of peat that limns this portrait of a classic wee heavy.

I can also appreciate just a whisper of well-integrated alcohol that isn't bothersome in the least. Port wine notes weave in and out; or at least they would be port wine-like if they were more concentrated and more forceful. The mouthfeel is in the upper ranges of medium with a light (just right) degree of mouthcoating. That ever so slight syrupiness promotes appreciation of the deep flavor profile long after the swallow.

Traquair House Ale is the second best wee heavy (Belhaven) to ever cross my lips. I love this style and I wish more breweries would dedicate themselves to making just such a rich, complex, traditional Scotch ale as the one I just consumed. If you love this style as well, this one should be on your short list of 'must tries'.

Truly a pleasing brew ... sip and savour this delicate ale. Rich and complex with a perfect balance to make it that much more drinkable. One of the best ales that we have reviewed to date. This is more than just an ale ... it is an experience.

Appearance - Deep brown with some reddish flecks. Looks a bit murky, but clearer on closer inspection. A bit of a head and some decent lacing down the sides.

Smell - Butterscotch and toffee. Really, that's pretty much it. It's exactly how a scotch ale should smell, I suppose.

Taste - A more complex flavor profile, but not inherently better. Definitely a butterscotch flavor throughout. Toffee and caramel malts as well, but it has a strong hop bitterness in the finish that rounds out the flavor into a pleasant brew.

Mouthfeel - Slick on the mouth, but not thick. Very oily tasting but still with a decent carbonation to it.

Overall - A solid scotch ale. No frills. Traditionally made and traditional tasting. Well made on all counts.

T - A great flavor of malt w/ woody and cocoa notes w/ mild butterscotch, vanilla bean tinges. The malt flavor is smooth w/ a hint of coffee and sweet caramel. The toffee-like flavor is accented by a mild pine and cinnamon element. The taste has cocoa notes and is balanced by the flavor of alcohol which makes the sweetness less than cloying.

D - This has to be the most drinkable Scotch ale IMO, a beer that is smooth for its strength and calls for repeated tastes, would pair well with many desserts like creme brulee for example

A: The pour is dark amber in color with a smallish khaki colored head.

S: A really nice nose on this one. Sweet caramel and toffee all the way through with a hint of vanilla. Toasted bread and molasses give an extra bit of maltiness. A rather simple aroma, but quite good.

T: There is a hint of booze, but otherwise it's a rather nice combination caramel and toffee. Some more of the bread and toast character, but it is a touch watery at times. Maybe some brown sugar.

M: Medium in body with a low to medium level of carbonation.

O: Overall pretty nice. A bit simple to me, but I liked what it had to offer.

12oz bottle into a pub glass. The brew pours brown in color with 2 fingers worth of tan head. When held to the light, the beer shows excellent clarity with an amber to mahogany look about it. The cap recedes slowly maintaining a finger of froth atop with some patches of lacing sticking to the glass.

The aroma is rich and inviting with caramel malt sweetness that gives way to some notes of chocolate and mild fruity hints of raisins, plums, prunes and dates. As the brew warms up, there is a brighter citrus inclusion almost like coriander mixed with mild herbal hops. The hop quality mixed with the alcohol makes for more of a fruit and floral kick that was completely absent from this brew's nose while it was colder.

The taste follows through with what you would expect based on the aroma. Initial flavors of caramel and toffee malt hint lightly towards chocolate. More sips focus more and more on fruity alcohol notes with mild flavoring of prunes mixed with a bit of musty chocolate to coffee. Some citrus is present which is the first indication of hops that draws out some stale fruit flavors of raisins and a bit of earth. This is an enjoyable tasting brew but it has some unexpected twists and turns going on it without the antcipated smoked character one might expect in the style.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. It is smooth and easy drinking for over 7%. I am glad I finally got around to trying this and I would probably reach for it again if given the chance. Overall, not a bad brew it is worth giving a try.